Science

Men are seen as less intimidating and threatening when holding small dog than when alone

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While dating apps were once seen as taboo, they’re now one of the main ways that singletons find love around the world.

And if you have a profile on a dating app, a new study may encourage you to include small dogs in your photos. 

Researchers from the University of Jaen in Spain have revealed that men are seen as less intimidating and threatening when holding a small dog than when alone.

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Researchers from the University of Jaen in Spain have revealed that men are seen as less intimidating and threatening when holding a small dog than when alone. Pictured: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson with his two puppies

Researchers from the University of Jaen in Spain have revealed that men are seen as less intimidating and threatening when holding a small dog than when alone. Pictured: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson with his two puppies

Actor Orlando Bloom and his dog Mighty pictured outside hotel in Milan

John Legend with his adorable dog Pearl

While many male celebrities including Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ben Affleck have large dogs, others are happy toting tiny pups

Top tips to boost your chances of Tinder success 

1. Have photos that tell a story and detailed bio with a clear ‘call to action’

2.  Avoid any mention of your job or financial status on your profile

3. Use Tinder on desktop rather than logging on through the app because it reportedly boosts your rankings

4. Ensure that all information and photos on your profile are fully finished – including additional links to social media pages

5. Activate ‘recently active’ button

Read more 

While many male celebrities including Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ben Affleck have large dogs, others are happy toting tiny pups. 

For example, Hugh Jackman has an adorable French Bulldog, Gerard Butler can often be seen with his pet Pug, and Sylvester Stallone has opted for a Pomeranian.

In their study, the researchers set out to assess how a dog’s presence can influence our perception of the owner.

A group of 296 female college students were shown pictures of a man or woman either alone, or with a dog.

‘We selected two unpopular, medium- and small-sized adult dogs (Portuguese podengo-like mixed-breed dog and wire-haired dachshund, respectively) to examine whether the positive dog effect was due to dog presence itself or dog specificity,’ the researchers wrote.

Half of the pictures showed the man or woman in a ‘positive context’ – a well lit, urban public space in the daytime.

Meanwhile, the other half were taken in a ‘negative context’ – a dimly lit, quiet street at night.

Given that unleashed dogs can make some people nervous, the dogs in all the pictures were seen on a leash.

A group of 296 female college students were shown pictures of a man or woman either alone, or with a dog. Half of the pictures showed the man or woman in a 'positive context' – a well lit, urban public space in the daytime. Meanwhile, the other half were taken in a 'negative context' – a dimly lit, quiet street at night

A group of 296 female college students were shown pictures of a man or woman either alone, or with a dog. Half of the pictures showed the man or woman in a ‘positive context’ – a well lit, urban public space in the daytime. Meanwhile, the other half were taken in a ‘negative context’ – a dimly lit, quiet street at night

Men who pose topless on Tinder are seen as less competent 

Researchers from the University of Colorado have revealed that men who pose topless on Tinder are seen as less competent and more promiscuous.

Study participants were asked to rate the different versions of a man’s profile across a range of factors, including his sexual behaviours, physical attraction, and personality.

When the man was shown topless in his profile picture, women judged him to be higher in risky sexual behaviour, lower in social appeal and lower in competence.

Men also judged the shirtless man to be higher in risky sexual behaviour and lower in social appeal, but not lower in competence.

Based on the pictures, participants were asked to rate how intimidating and threatening they thought the people were.

The results revealed that participants felt safer, more dominant and less scared of the people when a dogs was present in the photo – in both the positive and negative contexts.

In particular, smaller dogs enhanced positive reactions and a sense of safety in the majority of contexts.

‘The current study has shown that the small-sized dog prompts more positive emotional reactivity and higher levels of safety than the medium-sized dog in most emotional contexts, pointing out that emotional and safety benefits from dog presence might also be related to size,’ the researchers wrote.

Aside from including an image of a small dog on your Tinder profile, experts suggest that men should log in from a desktop to boost rankings, and use snaps that ‘portray a story’. 

Last year, James Langton, 27, from Oadby, Leicestershire, who runs the Dater Help YouTube channel participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything, in which he was asked by a bunch of hopeful singletons how he gets so many matches.

Keen to offer out his advice, James replied: ‘I think it’s a mixture of everything, but having photos that portray a story and a bio that’s informative with a clear “call to action” (reason why someone should match and speak to me).’

The dating pro emphasised the importance of selecting photos that help to give a glimpse into your life experiences and hobbies – and urged people to make sure the bio is ‘calling out’ to potential suitors.

During the talk, the YouTuber also explained that he purposely avoids any mention of his job or financial status on his profile – adding that this can be a real turn off to some.

source: dailymail.co.uk